China manufacturing at 6-mth high; strains remain

China’s official manufacturing index hit a six-month high in May but the industry still faces multiple strains, the government said Monday, while a closely watched private survey pointed to continued deterioration as the world’s second-largest economy battles a broad slowdown.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) came in at 50.2 for May, the strongest since 50.3 in November and the third consecutive month of expansion.